Always
by magickmoons
Summary: A series of one-shots following Sam and Jack's relationship during Seasons 9/10, possibly beyond. * Pairing: Sam/Jack * may include: Romance, Angst, H/C * Rating varies per chapter, up to M
1. Virginia is for Lovers

This is a series of one-shot ficlets that look in on Sam and Jack's relationship during Seasons 9 and 10, and possibly beyond.

* * *

Title: Virginia is for Lovers  
Characters/Pairings: Sam/Jack  
Notes/Warnings: written for the Genre: Romance challenge on Writerverse

* * *

Jack O'Neill sighed softly as the towncar pulled up in front of the beautifully maintained Arlington rowhouse. It was the end of another very long week fighting ignorant bureaucrats who were convinced that they knew better how to run the Stargate Program than the people who actually went through the gate. He set his cap on his head and gathered his briefcase.

"Good evening, General," said the young Airman at the wheel. "I'll see you Monday morning."

Jack muttered something appropriate back and stepped from the vehicle. He was not looking forward to another weekend alone. Back when he and Sam had worked out the rules for their long-distance relationship, before the Ori threat had forced her back onto SG-1, he had looked forward to long weekends spent exploring the city and its surrounding area: trips to Luray Caverns and Skyline Drive, antiquing in Fredricksburg, visiting Baltimore's Inner Harbor.

All these and more had been dangled in front of him as selling points to take the damn promotion. No one had bothered to mention that finding an actual whole weekend without something needing his attention would be next to impossible. And once Sam was back on SG-1, well, all bets were off.

So here he was with an actual free weekend and Sam was offworld on some week-plus-long scouting mission of another planet rumored to have shown traces of naquadria. What made it worse was that Sam was privately convinced that the readings were misleading and the planet would not prove to be a new source of the mineral. He had learned over the years that it was usually smart to trust her instincts. He expected nothing to come of this mission except an increased strain on his libido.

The car pulled away as he walked toward the steps leading up to his door. He nodded to the teenage girls gathered a few houses down and started up the stairs. As he approached, he noticed that all was not as he had left it. A single long-stemmed red rose had been tied to his door knocker with a red ribbon. He stepped up on the stoop and turned to look up and down the street, the anomaly prompting an automatic threat-assessment as well as wondering whether someone was going to jump out and tell him he was on Candid Camera. Nothing else was out of place, though, and he turned and carefully untied the ribbon, carrying it and the rose into the house with him.

He closed the door quietly behind him and set his things down on the door table, listening intently. Something was different. He flicked on the foyer light to find a light sprinkling of rose petals leading from the front door through to the stairs. Narrowing his eyes, he slowly followed the trail up the stairs and down the hall to where a flickering light shone from the master bedroom.

Only two people other than Jack had a key to this place: his personal assistant and Sam. Somehow, he couldn't see Major Kinney sneaking out to surprise him with the dozens of lighted candles set on various surfaces in the bedroom, with more light flickering from the attached bathroom. He hoped to god that somehow he had missed a memo and that was Sam in there or else there was going to be a very big problem.

He heard a faint splashing sound as he crossed the bedroom. He nudged open the bathroom door and had to steady himself against the doorjamb at the sight that greeted him. Sam Carter, face flushed from the steam, was submerged in the large soaking tub. The bubbles that concealed most of her body from his sight were also dotted with rose petals and the whole room smelled of the floral bath oil she used. He licked his lips and tried to swallow.

Keeping her eyes closed, she smiled. "Are you just going to stand there all night or are you going to join me? The water's not going to stay hot forever, you know."

And the sound of her voice was all that he need to convince himself that he wasn't dreaming and spur him into action. The speed with which his clothes began to hit the floor had her giggling, even as she scooched forward so he could step in and sit behind her. He couldn't suppress a pleased groan as the hot water enveloped him and her slick back came to rest on against his chest, her butt snugging up nicely against his groin.

She tilted her head up, blue eyes meeting brown for an instant before she pressed her lips to his. Then she resumed her relaxed position, resting her head against his shoulder, wiggling against him just a little as she sought the most comfortable position.

He kissed the top of her head and let his fingers trail along any bits of her he could reach, the mood relaxed and sensual as she hummed in contentment. Her hands slowly massaged up and down his thighs for a while before seeking out his hands pulling them to rest across her belly, their fingers entwined. She let out another small sound of utter contentment and Jack thought he may never let them get out of this tub.

Finally his curiosity got the better of him and he spoke up. "Distinctly _not_ looking a gift horse in the mouth here, but aren't you supposed to be on P7...something?"

"Yeah, we were. Then Daniel had a small accident which required us to come back earlier than scheduled." She felt Jack tense behind her. "He's fine. He tripped in a cave, sprained his ankle pretty good, but he'll be up and around in a week."

"Why wasn't I told about this?" He got daily reports from the SGC and had seen nothing about SG-1's early return or Daniel's injury.

She squeezed his fingers lightly. "Well, since the planet was a bust for naquadria, which I told you before we left, and Daniel's injury wasn't serious, I asked Paul Davis if he wouldn't mind temporarily misplacing those reports." She looked back up at him, biting her lip lightly. "I wanted to surprise you."

He thought about that for a minute, the part of him that was The Man warring with the part of him that thought rules were there to be broken. Then he looked down at the warm body pressed against him and decided it didn't really matter.

"How long can you stay?"

"Well, with Daniel's injury, we off the mission rotation for at least a week. And most of my current projects are analyzing data, which I just happen to have on my laptop, so..." She stopped abruptly as he tilted her head back to give him access to her lips again. He finally pulled back when oxygen started to become an issue and he realized that they were in danger of flooding the bathroom floor if they didn't move this out of the tub.

Later that night, as they lay tangled together in his bed, looking forward to a week of waking together, he kissed her lightly again and said, "You think of the best surprises, Carter."


	2. A Holly, Jolly Christmas

**Title:** A Holly, Jolly Christmas**  
Characters/Pairings:** Sam/Jack, Daniel, Cassie, Cam**  
Notes/Warnings:** written for sj_everyday Advent Calendar

* * *

**Christmas Eve 2005**

Laughter filtered into the kitchen, and Sam smiled when she heard Cassie join in the merriment as well. At least this year was turning out to be a better for Christmas for her. That's one of us, she thought and then frowned at herself for the uncharitable thought. She leaned against the counter, listening to the water starting to boil in the kettle, and took a deep breath.

"Sam?"

She looked up to see Daniel standing in the doorway from the living room. He smiled sympathetically and walked over to lean against the counter next to her, gently bumping her shoulder with his.

"You know he wanted to be here."

She nodded. "I know, Daniel. But when the President asks you to stay for a last minute meeting..." she shrugged and pushed off to take the whistling kettle off the stove. "Tea?"

Daniel shook his head and winced guiltily. "Actually, we were getting ready to head out."

Sam inhaled the minty aroma as the water hit the teabag and stayed quiet. She didn't trust herself to say anything. Their first Christmas together and all their plans had fallen through. Jack was supposed to have flown in this morning and the team would have Christmas Eve lunch before Cam, Daniel, and Cassie flew out, leaving the two of them to celebrate on their own.

Now, it would be just Sam on her own.

"We could stay," Daniel offered. "I'll call and reschedule our tickets."

"No, Daniel. Cassie needs this and I know Janet's mother is looking forward to both of you visiting. Go. I'll be fine."

She turned and gave him a bright smile. "See. This is me, happy."

"You don't have to pretend to be happy, Sam. Just... you'll be okay, right?" She nodded against Daniel's shoulder as he pulled her in to a tight hug.

"Hey Cassandra, there's hugging in here and we're being left out!" Sam laughed at Cameron's mock outrage and then there were four of them, holding each other and laughing. Then with a bustle of coats and bags and 'Merry Christmas's, the three of them piled into Daniel's car and headed down the street.

Sam smiled and waved until they turned the corner and then walked back into a house that seemed suddenly very, very quiet. She tidied up the last few plates and cups, turned on the Christmas lights that she had actually made time to put up this year, and settled on the couch with her tea, a book, and an afghan. After a while, she put the book down next to her tea cup and stretched out to watch the colorful lights twinkling through the window in the early winter evening.

A noise jolted her awake some time later. She opened her eyes. It was now entirely dark, the only light coming from the tree lights and the outdoor lights, reflecting off a flurry of snowflakes. She stayed still, waiting for the noise to repeat itself. Everything was silent and she wondered if it was just a remnant of her dream.

She cautiously got to her feet and was about to turn on a lamp when a definite noise came from the front porch. She sighed as she headed to the front door; if Daniel and Cassie had come back after all...

She opened the door to find Jack balanced on one foot, about to pull on a pair of heavy red pants over his jeans, a red jacket trimmed in white hanging open to show an old USAFA sweatshirt. He dropped the pants when he saw her and grabbed a hat from the duffel bag next to him. When he jammed the hat on his head, a chorus of Holly Jolly Christmas rang out. Sam burst out laughing as the point of the hat flopped from side to side ringing a bell as it went.

"Jack!"

He shook his head. "I'm not Jack. I'm Santa. See?" He pointed to the hat. "Have you been a good girl, Samantha?"

She grinned and reached out to pull him closer to her. "Come here and find out, Santa." The kiss that followed made her glad that all the truly good boys and girls were home in bed. She didn't want to be responsible for destroying their innocent perception of Father Christmas.

After a few minutes, Jack eased back enough to simply hold her. She relaxed in his arms and laid her cheek against his shoulder. "I didn't think... How'd you manage to get here?"

He gently urged her through the doorway and grabbed his bag on the way in himself as he spoke. "Well, knowing the President does open certain doors."

She rolled her eyes. "Jack, if you knew he was going to fly you out here afterwards, why didn't you just say so?" She pulled him down on the couch beside and curled up next to him. The room seemed so much warmer now that he was there.

He rested his cheek against her hair. "It wasn't planned. The President invited us back to the residence for drinks after the meeting wrapped up. I may have made some comments about how many times we've, y'know, saved the world, missing holidays, family events, yadda yadda. Next thing you know, he's on the phone, and then I'm on a plane."

Sam smothered her giggle in his shoulder, then looked up at him. "You guilt tripped the President?"

He cupped her chin in his hand, stroking his thumb gently across her cheek. She flushed a bit under the intensity of his gaze. "For you, Sam, for this, I'd do much, much more." His lips were warm against hers and she reached up to thread her fingers through his hair. "I love you," he whispered against her lips. "Merry Christmas."

"Merry Christmas, Jack."

_~Happy Holidays~_


	3. Home Safe

**Title: **Home Safe******  
Characters/Pairings: **Sam/Jack**********  
Notes/Warnings: **written for writerverse 333 words challenge. Set post The Scourge (9x17).  
**Rating:** Mature

* * *

"Jack."

He remained stubbornly facing away from her. "If the words 'happens to everyone,' 'age,' or 'blue pill' come out of your mouth, I'm sleeping on the couch."

"You've been under a lot of stress lately."

"That's close enough," he grunted, and sat up abruptly.

"Please stay." The pain and fatigue in her voice mirrored his own. He turned toward her, but couldn't find the words to start; there was too much to say. The Gamma site, Prior bugs, stuck behind a desk while she risked life and limb.

"You thought we were dead," she began for him.

"No," he corrected despondently. "I thought you were still alive. And I still signed off on sending the Odyssey to destroy all life on that planet."

"The bugs had to be contained, Jack."

"I know that," he snapped, then took a deep breath. "It's just... the waiting, not knowing if you'll come home..."

Sam looked at him. This promotion was hard on him: too much thinking, not enough doing. It was taking a heavier toll on him than they had anticipated.

"I'm home. I'm here," she whispered, moving closer to him. His eyes were still far away, still trapped where he waited to hear if SG-1 had beaten the ever-lengthening odds again.

She cradled his hand against her cheek. "I'm here," she repeated.

She pressed a kiss against the beat of his heart. "I'm home." Her fingers traced feather-light strokes down his abdomen and then began to lightly massage his thigh muscles. After a few minutes, she began to work her way up, straddling him as she reached around to apply pressure along his spine.

"I'm here," she repeated, whispering the words against his lips. She felt him begin to harden beneath her.

He looked at her with love and lust and want and need. "I can think of another way you could remind me of that." He slipped his arms around her, pulling her tightly against him, whole and alive and here, for now.


	4. Mission Accomplished

Title: Mission Accomplished  
Characters/Pairings: Sam/Jack  
Notes/Warnings: written for the Texts from Last Night challenge on livejournal. Prompt: Stargate SG1 - Sam/Jack - _(585): He's such a gentleman. He didn't even ask why my bra was flung on the seat of my car. He just took my snow brush, pushed it onto the floor and said, "Let's go I'm hungry."_

* * *

Sam stared at the parking lot in dismay. It was unbelievable. Here she was sunburned, sandburned, and running very late, and she walked out of the mountain to find that apparently a blizzard had visited the Springs sometime over the past week. She trudged out to her car, brushed the snow off her trunk lock with a gloved hand, and grabbed the snow brush.

Under the inches of snow was a layer of ice. She groaned as switched the tool to start attacking the ice. Why did this mission have to run long? Why did it have to snow this week? It was like the galaxy was conspiring against her. Something had come up every weekend. It seemed impossible that it was just coincidence. But then again, her life was a series of impossible events.

Finally, getting the driver's side door mostly clear, she opened the door and started the car, letting it run while she went to work on the other windows. Pretty soon, she was wincing every time she moved her arm. During the walk back to the gate on that barren dust bowl of a desert planet, grains of sand had insinuated themselves under her clothing, rubbing her shoulders raw under the straps of her pack. Her current activity had her bra straps rubbing the raw skin

with each movement.

Looking around the deserted parking lot, she pulled off her coat and quickly maneuvered her bra off and out from under her shirt, throwing the lacy garment through the open car door. She returned to chipping at the layers of ice, slightly more comfortable but growing more anxious as the time passed and she seemed to make little to no progress. There was no way she was getting to the restaurant on time.

A car pulled down the aisle a few minutes later, but Sam didn't pay much attention to it as she vented her frustration into the ice. She finally looked up when it came to a stop behind her car and the back door opened. Out stepped Jack O'Neill, looking entirely too calm and put-together for someone who had just flown over 2/3 of the country, watching her with an amused twinkle in his eye. She whirled back to the car and started chipping at it with renewed vigor.

Jack stood and watched her for a minute, reacquainting himself with how she moved, the way she bit her lip when she was concentrating (especially when she was concentrating on ignoring him), the way her hair bounced and caught the fading evening light, all those things that a photo on the nightstand just couldn't convey. The call from Daniel had caught him on the way to the restaurant; his former teammate didn't want him worrying when Sam was late. Too anxious to see her, smell her, feel her in his arms, he had diverted the driver to the Mountain.

Finally conceding that she was too keyed up to acknowledge him voluntarily, he walked carefully over the thin ice, past where she was attacking the rear window, and leaned into the car to turn it off and remove the keys. Seeing a red, lacy bra laying half on the passenger seat made his eyebrows lift a little and he looked back at her with a grin. The tense, frustrated look on her face made him rethink the flippant remark on the tip of his tongue. He grabbed the emergency blanket she kept on the backseat and dropped it over the bra. No point in the entire base getting a chance to see Carter's unmentionables while her car remained here this weekend.

He stood up to see her staring at him. He knew that expression all too well. It was the one she got after a rough mission, physically or emotionally, when she had too much pent up emotion and no outlet. He stepped in front of her, gently took the ice scraper she was wielding almost like a weapon and dropped it behind the driver's seat, and folded his arms around her.

She stood stiff and unmoving at first. Weeks without seeing him, the Ori, the damn sand. Each was a layer of tension running throughout her being. He just stood there, rubbing her back, not speaking, not expecting anything. Soon, she felt the slightest break in her resolve, the anger and frustration starting to seep out of her muscles. A smile crossed his face as he felt her lean into him and bring her arms up around him.

After another minute, he whispered in her ear, "Let's go. I'm hungry."

She chuckled, still sounding just on the edge of hysteria, but let him lead her to the waiting car and settle her in the back seat. He slid in next to her and gave the driver a murmured instruction to proceed to the restaurant. Sam slid down in her seat, resting her head against the seat back, and closed her eyes until they arrived at the restaurant.

Candlelight, good wine, good food, and Jack seemed to be a magic combination. They talked in low voices as they enjoyed their meal, sharing the few stories from their lives that were fit for public consumption, their fingers dancing together across the table.

After their entrees, Jack asked, "So, dessert?"

"Oh yes, but not here," she purred, a wicked light in her eyes making his breath catch in his throat. She leaned forward, her v-neck sweater providing a tantalizing reminder of what she had left in her car. "Let's go, General. I'm hungry."


	5. Sleep

**Title: **Sleep******  
Characters/Pairings: **Sam/Jack**********  
Notes/Warnings: **written for a writerverse prompt: Stay by my side. Episode tag to Morpheus (10x2)

* * *

Sam watched Daniel's eyes close through her own heavily weighted lids. 'No!' she wanted to scream, but her tongue was stuck to the roof of her mouth. She felt so cold, so heavy; she just wanted to rest, just for a minute. The gray tint of her vision darkened steadily.

She opened her eyes to see the heavy wooden lid closing above her. The urge to scream was so powerful it shook her entire body. They couldn't do this to her, couldn't leave her here. She didn't want to die, not now, not trapped and alone. She fought to raise her arms and bang on the lid, but something was restraining her, holding her body in place as she tried to thrash free.

She channeled all her will into a primal scream which jerked her back into consciousness. Her first thought was that she didn't feel that unending exhaustion anymore, nor was she cold. In fact, she was wrapped rather tightly in a pair of warm, strong arms surrounding her underneath a mound of blankets.

She could hear Jack's voice whispering calming phrases, and tried to steady her breathing once she realized that she was home, she was safe, and apparently she was in bed with Jack. That was what kept tripping her up, because, while they had been sharing a bed whenever they were in the same city for some time now, she was fairly certain she had gone to bed alone.

"Jack?" she asked softly, afraid she was still caught in the web of nightmares that plagued her sleep since her return from Vagonbrei. Dr. Lam had warned all of them to expect some pretty vivid nightmares until their hormone levels evened out.

He pulled her a little more tightly against his chest. She could feel his heart racing; that scream must have actually broken through. "Yeah, it's me."

She snuggled back against him, locking his arms in place with her own. Her eyes drifted shut again and she may have dozed for a few minutes, but even when she opened her eyes, she wasn't sure. She tried to guess the time, but her internal clock had fallen victim to the parasite as well; body cues such as hunger and fatigue were useless right now. The bright light seeping around the edges of the curtains seemed to indicate that it was mid-morning.

"When did you get here? I didn't know you were coming."

"I got in early this morning and came straight here. The SGC was alerted yesterday. Someone was supposed to tell you I was coming."

She slowly wiggled around until she was facing him, staying close enough that his hand still rested comfortably on her hip. "Well, we hadn't been out the infirmary too long before there was an incident with Vala." He raised his eyebrows, but she just shook her head. He didn't need to concern himself with that. "Afterwards, we all went out to dinner."

"Well, that explains why you didn't even move when I got here this morning. I swear, I was about to call Lam when you finally woke up." She could see the concern in his eyes. "But Sam, do you really think that staying out all night was the smartest move after everything that happened?"

She rolled her eyes. "Of course we didn't stay out all night, Jack. I was home by ten." Her eyes dropped to where her fingers were tracing patterns across his chest. "I just couldn't... That is, I didn't want to go to sleep."

A quick glance up at his eyes showed that he understood what she wasn't saying: that she was afraid of sleeping. They had faced a lot of enemies over the years, but having to fear your own body, your own needs, was one of the worst. As if to reinforce that, she was overcome with a huge yawn.

"What time did you get to sleep then?"

She shrugged. "It was after dawn," she admitted.

He sighed. "Well, it's just past 10 now." He stopped as her eyes widened and she started moving as if to get up. He gently held her and shook his head. "You are not going to work today. One, it's Saturday; and Two, I checked your schedule. You have nothing that can't wait a day or two."

Ordinarily she would have made at least a token protest at his steamrolling through her life like that, but really, she was very comfortable here.

"Get some more sleep, Sam. When you wake up, we'll call Daniel and Teal'c and get everybody together for lunch."

"I'm afraid, Jack," she blurted out. "Afraid that this is just another part of the hallucinations and if I go to sleep, I won't wake up."

"I know, and I promise you that this is real. You're home and you're safe and you're with me." His voice was as soothing as the motion of his hand rhythmically stroking her arm.

Her eyes started to close again. "You'll be here when I wake up?" she murmured.

The last thing she felt as sleep took its hold was gentle kisses across her face. "I'm here for as long as you need me, Sam."


	6. Best Laid Plans

**Title: **Best Laid Plans******  
Characters/Pairings: **Sam/Jack, Vala**********  
Notes/Warnings: **Written for a challenge at LiveJournal's Writerverse, using an entry from Texts from Last Night. All texts in italics; source text in bold. **Formatting is much nicer (ie more to my preference) over at AO3 or Livejournal

* * *

Everyone yelled happily. Jack made some approving noises, taking a swig of his beer to mask the fact that he had no idea what they were all cheering at. He was lucky he knew what teams were playing. He had been looking forward to his first Saturday off after a very difficult couple of months. However, he had somehow ended up crammed into George Hammond's living room with a substantial number of Pentagon Brass watching college ball instead searching out some of the great hidden fishing holes he had heard about in the area, as he had planned.

His phone buzzed in his pocket and he dug it out. His face blanched as he read the display, then quickly repocketed the phone.

Hammond noticed and leaned over to ask, "Everything okay, Jack?"

Jack looked up at his former CO, only partially registering the worry and concern in the older man's expression. "Yeah, it's okay," he said. He gestured vaguely toward the back door. "I just need to..." Jack stood and headed out to the deck, grabbing a fresh beer as he passed through the kitchen.

Once on the deck, he risked looking at the phone again, hoping he had misread the message. Nope, it was still there...

_(Sam)_

_**and a jello shot exploded in my bra last night. Now I have blueberry smurfette boobs. Awesome.**_

Jack took a deep breath and typed a response.

_(Jack)_

_You want to explain that?_

He paced up and down the deck waiting for a response. He leaned against the railing. His phone buzzed again.

_(Sam)_

_Jack?_

_(Jack)_

_Yes. Why am I reading about your boobs while watching football with a roomful of brass?_

_And why are they blue?_

_(Sam)_

_I didn't mean to text you_

_(Jack)_

_Just who were you texting?_

_(Sam)_

_There was a party last night._

_A bachelorette party for Lt. Michaels._

_(Jack)_

_Okay... still waiting for the blue part_

_(Sam)_

_Vala went out with us. Things might have gotten a bit out of hand._

_(Jack)_

_And waiting..._

_(Sam)_

_Vala_

_(Jack)_

_No, it's still Jack_

_(Sam)_

_Ha ha. I'm saying the answer to whatever you ask about last night is: Vala_

_And that's all I'm saying._

_(Sam)_

_Oh god, I'm going back to bed._

_Never speak of this again._

_(Jack)_

_Are you kidding? I'm forwarding this whole thing to Daniel._

_Just as soon as I figure out how..._

_(Jack)_

_Get some rest, Sam_

He continued leaning against the railing as he drained the rest of his beer. The late afternoon sky showed the first tinges of sunset. He thoughtfully tapped his phone against the railing before typing again.

_(Jack)_

_Vala, what the hell did you do last night?_

Another long pause followed before he finally got a response.

_(Vala)_

_Vala is dead right now. Try back later! I might care then._

_(Vala)_

_I can actually feel you frowning all the way from DC_

_I took her out for a good time_

_Like You Asked Me To_

_(Jack)_

_I asked you to make sure she relaxed_

_(Vala)_

_Oh she definitely relaxed :D_

_(Jack)_

_I did not mean Jello Shots!_

_(Vala )_

_It's not my fault you weren't specific in your request._

_how did you ever get to be general if that's the way you give orders?_

Jack rolled his eyes. He was just asking for trouble, but with Daniel and Teal'c both 'out of town' for a few days, it was either Cam or Vala, and he didn't want to expose Sam's condition to someone who was, at least nominally, her CO.

_(Jack)_

_Vala, could you please go check on Sam?_

_She sounds kind of rough today._

_(Vala)_

_Certainly, General Jack!_

_I've prepared supplies. I want to try out this hair of the dog thing I've heard about._

_(Jack)_

_Not what I meant, and you know it_

_(Vala)_

_Vala is dead right now. Try back later! I might care then._

Jack closed his phone with a sigh. No wonder Daniel always sounded on edge. That woman was a menace. At least Sam had one more day to recover before she was due back at the mountain. Another roar came from inside the house and Jack schooled his features to back excited interest and he forged back in.


End file.
